Switch Assemblies and Method for Controlling Vehicular Components

• US 20070096565A1
• Filed: 07/03/2006
• Published: 05/03/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: American Vehicular Sciences LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Automotive Technologies International Incorporated
• Inventors: Breed, David, Johnson, Wendell, DuVall, Wilbur
• Granted Patent: US 7,880,594 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 307/116
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0408 transmitting the signals by non-mechanical means from the wheel or tyre to a vehicle body mounted receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/96011 with propagation, SAW or BAW

Abstract

Vehicle including a switch assembly includes a vehicular component subject to control by an occupant in the passenger compartment, and a switch assembly for controlling the component based on pressure applied by the occupant of the vehicle to an exposed surface of the vehicle. The switch assembly includes at least one wireless transmission component arranged to wirelessly transmit an indication of the application of pressure to the exposed surface, and a control mechanism for controlling the wireless transmission by the wireless transmission component(s) based on the application of pressure to the exposed surface. The control mechanism may be a switch or a variable impedance which react to the application of pressure to the exposed surface.

Claims

1. A vehicle having a passenger compartment and comprising:

a component subject to control by an occupant in the passenger compartment; and

a switch assembly for controlling said component based on pressure applied by the occupant of the vehicle to an exposed surface of the vehicle, said switch assembly comprising;

at least one wireless transmission component arranged to wirelessly transmit an indication of the application of pressure to said exposed surface; and

control means for controlling the wireless transmission by said at least one wireless transmission component based on the application of pressure to said exposed surface.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein said switch assembly further comprises a substrate, and a material sheet defining said exposed surface, said material sheet being any sheet having an outer surface exposed to the passenger compartment of the vehicle and an inner surface facing said substrate.

3. The vehicle of claim 2, wherein said control means comprise a projection arranged on or between said material sheet and a space on said substrate such that pressure on said exposed surface of said material sheet is transferred by said projection to said substrate and the indication of the application of pressure is wirelessly transmitted by said at least one wireless transmission component to be used to control said component.

4. The vehicle of claim 3, wherein said projection is formed on or in connection with said material sheet.

5. The vehicle of claim 3, wherein said projection is formed on or in connection with said substrate.

6. The vehicle of claim 5, further comprising an additional projection formed on or in connection with said material sheet and in alignment with said projection formed on said substrate.

7. The vehicle of claim 3, wherein said at least one wireless transmission component includes an interdigital transducer arranged on said substrate and a reflector arranged on said substrate spaced from said interdigital transducer, said space on said substrate being situated between said interdigital transducer and said reflector.

8. The vehicle of claim 7, wherein said switch assembly includes a variable impedance device attached across said reflector to enable a determination of the magnitude of the pressure applied to said exposed surface of said material sheet.

9. The vehicle of claim 2, wherein at least one wireless transmission component is arranged to wirelessly transmit a magnitude of the application of pressure to said substrate.

10. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein said switch assembly is a passive switch assembly in that power for said at least one wireless transmission component is provided through radio frequency transmission.

11. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein said switch assembly is an active switch assembly in that power for said at least one wireless transmission component is provided through a wire leading from a source of power mounted on the vehicle.

12. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein said exposed surface is an armrest of the vehicle, a steering wheel cover of the vehicle or an airbag cover of the vehicle.

13. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein said switch assembly further comprises a substrate underlying said exposed surface, said at least one wireless transmission component including an interdigital transducer arranged on said substrate, and a reflector arranged on said substrate spaced from said interdigital transducer, said control means comprising a switch arranged across said interdigital transducer or said reflector and arranged relative to said exposed surface such that pressure applied to said exposed surface alters said switch between a fully closed position and a fully open position, whereby when said switch is in the open position, said at least one wireless transmission component is unable to transmit.

14. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein said switch assembly further comprises a substrate underlying said exposed surface, said at least one wireless transmission component including at least one reflector arranged on said substrate, said control means comprising a variable impedance arranged across one of said at least one reflector and arranged relative to said exposed surface such that pressure applied to said exposed surface alters said variable impedance, whereby when the condition of said variable impedance determines the wireless transmission via said at least one wireless transmission component.

15. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein said switch assembly comprises a radio-frequency identification device (RFID), said at least one wireless transmission component being a part of said RFID, said control means being arranged to short said RFID such that said RFID is unable to transmit.

16. The vehicle of claim 15, wherein said switch assembly further comprises an antenna coupled to said RFID and said control means comprise a switch or variable impedance connecting an output from and an input to said antenna and arranged relative to said exposed surface such that pressure applied to said exposed surface alters said switch or said variable impedance and thereby causes variation of a responsive signal provided by said RFID.

17. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein said switch assembly comprises a surface-acoustic-wave (SAW) device.

18. The vehicle of claim 17, wherein said switch assembly further comprises an antenna coupled to said SAW device and said control means comprise a switch or variable impedance connecting an output from and an input to said antenna and arranged relative to said exposed surface such that pressure applied to said exposed surface alters said switch or said variable impedance and thereby causes variation of a signal provided by said SAW device.

19. The vehicle of claim 1, further comprising an interrogator for transmitting signals to said switch assembly to obtain a responsive signal generated or modified by said switch assembly.

20. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein said at least one wireless transmission component is an antenna capable of reflecting a received signal and said control means comprise a switch or variable impedance connecting an intermediate portion of said antenna to ground and arranged relative to said exposed surface such that pressure applied to said exposed surface alters said switch or said variable impedance and thereby causes variation of the reflected signal.

21. A method for controlling a component in a vehicle based on a pressure measurement on an exposed surface within a passenger compartment of the vehicle, comprising:

coupling the component to a switch assembly to enable control of the component upon application of pressure to an exposed surface of the vehicle;

arranging at least one wireless transmission component to wirelessly transmit an indication of the application of pressure to the exposed surface;

controlling the wireless transmission by the at least one wireless transmission component based on the application of pressure to the exposed surface; and

controlling the component based on the wireless transmission by the at least one wireless transmission component.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the wireless transmission is controlled by arranging a switch or variable impedance in connection with the at least one wireless transmission component such that pressure applied to the exposed surface alters the switch or variable impedance and thereby causes variation of a signal provided by the at least one wireless transmission component.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising arranging at least one projection on or between a material sheet defining the exposed surface and a space on a substrate underlying the material sheet such that pressure on the exposed surface of the material sheet is transferred by the projection to the substrate.